


Darthol i Aur : Enduring the Sunlight

by Orchyd Constyne (slarmstrong)



Series: Tears of Blood [1]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-12
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 02:25:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3340106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slarmstrong/pseuds/Orchyd%20Constyne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erestor has a secret and Glorfindel wants to know what it may be.  Once he finds out, will he still look to Erestor as a friend?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

##  It was a great assembly. It was the Great War; it was the War of Wrath.

Under my King's banner I marched; my head adorned with a helm, my body covered in armor, and a sword, long and deadly, held in my hand. I was a child of Aman. I had never known war, but I had been taught how to wield weapons of death. Beside Turgon and Fingon, Finrod and Maedhros, I had been taught the ways of battle.

Now, I marched without them, marched with the only son of Finwë, to return to those of us left behind.

King Ingwë led us, fell and glorious in his battle splendor. We boarded the Telerin ships and were taken across that sea of blue. I stepped foot on the Hither Lands for the first time, only to draw arms and fight that which had destroyed the beauty of my home.

Under banners of white, with fire burning in each of us, we fought the putrid stink that spilled forth from Angband.

We were the host of the Valar; terrible and young and fair in form, hewing through the filth of Morgoth with fierce determination.

Balrogs and Orcs, Men and other twisted creatures came upon on us, wave after wave, and we fought them back. Slowly, we came closer and closer to the gates of Angband, and then they were released; enormous winged beasts, lighting and fire in the sky, and we were driven back. The Mariner came then, amid the blazing sky and surrounded by the great birds of the West, and he battled long above us against the dragons of Morgoth.

Long through the night he fought, and the stars were hidden from us, but by the rising of the sun, Eärendil slew the dragon lord. The mighty host moved forward once more, the dragons falling about us.

I was with the Noldor, defending my King, when I took the blow to my side. A weak spot in my armor was found and deep wound was left in the blade's wake. I was weak with the loss of my lifeblood, with fatigue, and my heart was heavy with the loss of my fellow Elves in this war. I drew my sword again, moving forth with my fair King, into the pits of Angband.

In those dark depths I tripped, falling upon my back, and as I looked up into the blue sky, a searing pain ripped through my chest.

The Orc screamed as it was pierced, just as it had pierced me, then stormy eyes framed by dark hair looked down at me through a haze. I coughed and felt warmth spill down my chin and I knew what it was to have a mortal wound.

A warm hand touched my cool brow and those eyes came ever closer.

Soft, dulcet tones washed over me as my eyesight darkened and the cold seeped into my very soul. "Erestor."

And then I died.

TBC...


	2. Chapter One

##  Third Age, 2100

Erestor leafed through the papers on his desk, quickly reading the content of each before he filed them neatly in the drawers beside his desk. He heaved a sigh when he came across a thick ledger and the Noldo sat back in his chair. The day was half-gone and he looked longingly out the large window of his office. Afternoon sunlight poured in and illuminated the dark-haired Elf. He turned his eyes to the ledger again before pushing it off to the side. It was simply too lovely of a day to remain indoors.

He stood, shedding his heavy robes of office and placing his diadem in the desk drawer. Erestor pulled his hair into a simple tail and turned to leave his stuffy office, dressed in only his undershirt and trousers, when the door he was leaving through was filled with sapphire silk.

"Lord Glorfindel!" he said, smiling brightly at the tall, blond Elf.

The reborn Elda returned the smile. "You are leaving early, Master Erestor."

Erestor chuckled, a deep and rumbling sound in his chest. "This day is too nice to waste pouring over the requests from Thranduil for grain. I believe the King's stores of venison will keep him comfortably fed until tomorrow." The Noldo winked and slipped passed Glorfindel, walking down the hall toward Celebrían's gardens.

"Do you mind if I join you, meldir?" Glorfindel called, skipping off after Erestor's quickly retreating form.

"I am to join Lord Elrond and his lady this afternoon. You may tag along; I am sure the twins will be there, eager to spar with you," Erestor said. "I am sure Lord Elladan is quite ready for a rematch."

Glorfindel shook his head. "Elladan is too much like his father. Elrond leaves his left side open as Elladan does." Erestor stopped suddenly, standing in the bright sunlight on the vibrant lawn, a hand snaking to his left side. The grey eyes were clouded and the Noldo seemed lost in thought. "Erestor?" Glorfindel called, looking down at the shorter Elf with worry.

Erestor blinked and dropped his hand. His eyes were haunted, but he offered a weak smile. "We all have our weak spots, my Lord." Erestor walked off toward the rose arbor where the Lady of Imladris rested in the shade of a great Oak.

The Elda sighed. He always seemed to say the wrong thing to Erestor. It surprised him still that they remained friends. "My Lady," he said, bowing deeply, overdramatically to Celebrían. Erestor snorted and Celebrían laughed, motioning for Glorfindel to join her.

"My Lord and his sons have gone to retrieve us all a lovely meal. Elrond promises sweets and wine, though I am sure Elrohir will speak some sense to him and bring more substantial victuals." Celebrían looked up at Erestor. "Should I assume you have eaten?"

"Aye, my Lady," Erestor said. "Before Lord Glorfindel literally ran into me on my way out of the office."

Glorfindel held out his hand. "Nay, my Lady! Do not believe the knave. I do believe he was in such a hurry to join you and your family that he was blind to my person and ran directly into me. If any should feel slighted, it is I!"

Celebrían laughed again. "Stop! Lord Glorfindel! You make my side ache with laughter!"

"'Tis better to ache with laughter than with hunger, I say," Glorfindel said.

Erestor rolled his eyes and sat beside Glorfindel. "Do you have only one thought this time of day? To fill your belly?"

"And what better thing to think of at mid-day?" Glorfindel asked, placing his hand on his chest. "Master Erestor, do not tell me you never think of your hunger!"

"My hunger is not in dispute. I question whether you can think of nothing more entertaining but your hunger," Erestor retorted.

Glorfindel pouted. "My hunger is foremost in mind, my Lord. I have not eaten since..." Glorfindel seemed to think for a moment, but Erestor answered for him.

"Since the sun rose, Glorfindel, you twit!" Erestor tossed a handful of leaves at Glorfindel.

"Your sharp wit has always amused me so," Glorfindel said as he dusted the leaves from his tunic. "And with props, no less."

Celebrían was bent in two, laughing in a most unladylike way. "Stop!" she managed between giggles.

Erestor glared at Glorfindel. "You will cause her to have vapors, and that will displease Elrond."

"Come now, Erestor," Glorfindel said. "The Lady is merely enjoying our company. It is not so hot nor is her dress so binding as to cause vapors!"

"Glorfindel!" Erestor cried. "Do not speak of our Lady in such a way."

Glorfindel cocked his head to the side. "In what way? That she is dressed?"

Erestor threw another handful of leaves and looked back toward the house, his relief at seeing Elrond and his sons approach apparent on his features. "Now, behave yourself, Glorfindel; and my Lady, please cease your chortling!"

The blond leaned close to his Lady. "Continue your display of appreciation for my wit, my Lady, and pay the crow no mind."

Celebrían stood, brushing the dirt and leaves from her skirts, her face flushed from all her mirth. "There is never a dull moment in Imladris with a crow and a peacock to amuse their Lady." She cast a fond smile at the two Elves before she ran off to greet her husband and sons, her silver hair shining in the afternoon light.

Glorfindel turned to Erestor and saw the wistful gaze with which Erestor regarded Celebrían. "Erestor?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably. "Do you love our Lady?"

Shocked eyes met Glorfindel's blue eyes. "Of course I love Celebrían, as I love Elrond and the twins, and Arwen when she is in the valley."

"No, I mean..." Glorfindel began, looking back to the smiling family approaching.

"I know what you mean, my Lord," Erestor said harshly, "and I would appreciate it if you would not sully the Lady's or my honor with voicing the accusation."

The gaze was icy and Glorfindel nodded mutely. Aye, he needed to be more tactful, but he loved his Lord and did not want to see anyone's honor injured. "Forgive me, meldir; it was unworthy of me."

Erestor simply nodded, turning his attention back to the approaching family.

****

Night has long since fallen on the valley and all its inhabitants were safely tucked into their beds.

Except one.

Erestor prowled the grounds slowly, looking up into the darkened sky. His pale skin shown in the moonlight and his black hair was like a raven's wing. He wore nothing but a night robe, which he shed at the edge of the dense wood that surrounded the Last Homely House.

Clad in naught but his skin, he silently stalked through the wood. Animals scurried when they caught his scent, and he ignored them as he crept through the trees.

He lifted his head suddenly, sniffing at the slight breeze. If anyone has been present, they would have heard a low warning growl issue from the Noldo's throat. His eyes glittered in the darkness; the night did not hinder his sight and he sought the source of the sour scent on the wind.

Erestor continued to stalk the creator of the foul odor, and when the beast was in his line of sight, Erestor stood motionless in the foliage. His eyes followed the figure, his anger growing at its presence so near to his loved ones. The beast walked without thought, leaving a trail behind it as it came closer and closer to the edge of the wood.

The Noldo moved, though his movements were imperceptible to the mortal eye. As the moon traversed the sky, Erestor tracked the creature, his black eyes never moving from its form. The beast finally stopped for a moment, and Erestor easily climbed into a nearby tree, his sharp nails digging into the bark of the Elm.

On a branch, high above the beast, Erestor crouched. His eyes were unblinking, his body unmoving. When the beast stood again, to continue its path, Erestor moved.

Faster than anyone could blink, be he Man, Elf, or god, Erestor pounced on the creature from his perch in the tree. He brought the squealing beast to the ground with him, his vise-like grip immobilizing the writhing animal within moments.

The Man panted in fear, his eyes wide as he looked at the pale, naked beast that held him to the ground. "W-w-what do you w-w-w-want?" the human managed.

"You have trespassed into the realm of Elrond Half-Elven. You will not do so again," Erestor hissed before he reared back, his elongated incisors glistening in the moonlight. He struck as quick as a snake, striking the throbbing vein of the Man's throat as the Elf's hand crushed the human's windpipe.

After long moments, Erestor stood, leaving the Man's dead body on the forest floor. There were other hungry animals in Imladris' woods that would make short work of the dead Man. Erestor licked the bright vermilion liquid from his lips as he walked back to where he left his robe, his hunger quenched.

For now.

TBC...


	3. Chapter Two

Glorfindel walked along the line of trees that surrounded the back side of the Last Homely House. He was looking for Elladan, who had bet Elrohir that Glorfindel would not be able to track him. The Elda was not about to let the quiet twin lose to his boisterous brother, and twilight was not far off.

The Balrog-slayer crept along the yard, his eyes scanning the vast lawn for the Peredhel. As he neared Celebrían's rose gardens, though, he stopped tracking the Imladrian heir; all his attention was focused on the pair seated under an arbor. His breath left him and he felt his face flush in embarrassment as he watched the scene before him unfold.

His sapphire eyes stared unblinking at the Lady of Imladris, nestled on a bench beneath an arch of honeysuckle. Kneeling before her, his dark hair a shimmering backdrop, was Erestor. His lips were pressed against the soft, pale skin of the Lady's wrist, and Celebrían sat unmoving, her lips parted and her cheeks red with blush. Glorfindel's heart raced in his chest as he backed away from the vision under the honeysuckle.

He had to find his Lord; Erestor had lied to him the previous week when Glorfindel asked him if he loved the Lady. Elrond had to know of this betrayal!

Glorfindel quietly left the glade and walked swiftly to Elrond's chambers. He stood before the great Oak door, his heart beating loudly in his breast and his mind racing. Did he have the right to come to Elrond with his findings? Should he speak to Erestor and Celebrían first? No. He had to speak with his Lord. He was sent back to protect Elrond and Gil-galad; he had failed to save the High King, he would not fail the Half-Elf. He knocked sharply on the door, his chin high and his path set.

"Come!"

The Elda walked determinedly into the dimly lit room, his eyes sweeping around the room before landing on the seated form of the Imladrian Lord. Glorfindel cleared his throat and then called softly, "My Lord?"

Elrond's pewter eyes rose from the book in his lap. "Glorfindel."

Glorfindel arched an eyebrow delicately. "You do not seem surprised to see me here."

"Nay, I am not," Elrond said, closing his book.

"Then you know about them?" the Elda asked, crossing his arms.

Elrond smiled. "Of course I know of them, especially since Erestor has come to me in nights past for the same reason he sought out my wife this evening." The Elf-lord stood, his gaze never leaving the puzzled eyes of his Seneschal. "Erestor?" he called out, his face still calm and serene.

From the shadows beside the large armoire walked Erestor, pale and dark, his lips set in a grim line.

"You must tell him," Elrond said. "You were careless enough to allow him to find you, now you must remove the doubt he has in my wife's honor." The Peredhel bowed slightly and walked from his chambers, leaving his Chief Councilor and his Seneschal in the richly appointed room.

Erestor sat in the recently vacated seat, his dark eyes veiled and cold. "Sit," he said, his voice firm.

Glorfindel found himself sitting before he had even thought to respond.

"You should not have intruded, my Lord," Erestor said, folding his hands in his lap.

"You lied to me."

Erestor shook his head. "I did not."

"I asked if you loved our Lady beyond what was appropriate," Glorfindel accused. "You said you did not. You lied to me." A slow smiled crossed Erestor's face, and Glorfindel felt his resolve quaver under the disturbing regard.

"Lied to you? You, a returned Elf from the Halls of Mandos, should have been able to detect a lie. I was not speaking an untruth to you that afternoon. I may love Celebrían, but I am not in love with her. She provides me with something I need, as does Elrond," Erestor said quietly, his bottomless eyes never leaving Glorfindel's.

"Tell me," Glorfindel said simply.

"Tell you? As simple as that? You desire me to tell you of a lifetime nearly twice your own?" Erestor laughed.

Glorfindel's brow furrowed. "Twice my own? I know I have not been walking Middle-Earth long-"

"No," Erestor cut off Glorfindel, holding a slender hand up. "Not Middle-Earth, Glorfindel. Your previous life and the one you live now -- more than double." Erestor's level, calm gaze and the unnerving words chilled Glorfindel.

It was then that Glorfindel looked closer at his friend, seeking that which burned bright within him. "Erestor, I do not see the flame of Aman flickering behind your eyes," he said slowly.

Erestor's smile faded and his eyes seemed to dim. "Nay, the flame that lit my soul has long been extinguished."

"You are not dead," Glorfindel said, shaking his head. "We speak now; you sit before me. To extinguish the flame within means..." Glorfindel was not sure _what_ it meant.

"It means, meldir," Erestor said, his long, dark lashes hiding his eyes, "that I have been severed from the land of my birth. Though I did not flee with my kinsmen, though I did not slay my fellow Elves, and though I fought beside Finarfin when the Host of the Valar threw down the walls of Angband, I shall _never_ see the light of Aman again. Never shall I walk the shores of Alqualondë or dance in the square at festival in Tirion before the Valar."

Erestor's voice was steady and soft, but the raw pain of his loss was plain for Glorfindel to see. The eyes that hid all now lay bare to Glorfindel and the Elda felt a wave of sorrow swallow him. "And why will you never return? What doom have you brought upon yourself?" he asked.

Erestor stood suddenly, his fists clenched. "Upon myself! Nay, Golden Glorfindel, the slayer of a Balrog, I did not bring doom upon myself. I fought with the host and my only misdeed was to trip in the pits of Angband. There, in that dank, dark place an Orc pierced my heart. As I lay dying, the taste of my own blood in my mouth, he came to me and whispered my name. 'Erestor,' he said. 'I will give you life anew, lonely one, bright star of Aman.' And he bit me, here," Erestor said, pulling his hair back and showing the large, pulsing vein of his throat. "He took from me the fire that warmed my soul and gave me this cold death in its place."

Glorfindel looked up at the fierce mask of anger his friend wore and choked out the only words he could. "What are you?"

"Iârhogor -- a blood drinker," Erestor said, smiling darkly at the Elda. Perfect fangs showed between the ruby lips.

"Iârhogor..." Glorfindel whispered. "Who was it? Who made you?"

Erestor turned from him then. "A Noldo. One who was exiled and alone. We became lovers for centuries before I sought the court of Gil-galad."

"Who, Erestor?"

"Maglor Fëanorion," the dark Elf said, turning his burning gaze to Glorfindel. "He made me what I am."

Silence descended on the room, and all that could be heard was the crackling of the wood in the hearth. Glorfindel stared into the flickering flames, trying to absorb this new, fantastical vision of his friend. "And what do Elrond and his Lady have to do with this?" Glorfindel asked, bile rising in his throat.

A mirthless chuckle issued from the Noldo. "Do you not know? Can you not put two and two together, dear Glorfindel? So that I do not slay all of Imladris to feed my thirst, or drain all of the neighboring villages of their people, the Lord and Lady offer up their lifeblood to me. I drink from one of them and I will not hunger for days."

Glorfindel turned his sapphire eyes to Erestor. "You feed upon those you love? Those you are sworn to protect?" he sneered. "Where has your honor gone, Erestor?"

In a flash too quick for Glorfindel to see, Erestor crossed the room and wrapped his hand around the Elda's throat. "My honor? Do not speak to me of honor! I have not sullied or tarnished the Lady or our Lord in any manner. What they offer, they offer out of love and pity; do not think that I have, in some way, forced upon them my needs." He released Glorfindel. "I respect both Elrond and Celebrían; I have fought beside the Peredhel and I have aided in the upbringing of his children."

"Do you feel no shame?" Glorfindel demanded, standing and glaring at Erestor. "A parasite upon them!"

"Oh yes, my Lord," Erestor spat. "There is shame. There is guilt. You rebelled and fled a land of love; you killed your kin on the shoreline; you died defending a lost city. I killed out of necessity and I live every moment of this existence with the constant company of my guilt, Glorfindel. I did not receive the means to purge my sins as you did in Mandos' Halls. That luxury is lost to me."

Glorfindel's gaze was hot and angry as he looked upon the one he had trusted and called friend for so long. "You have lied to me," he said, staring down at the dark Elf. "All these years, you kept from me who and what you were."

"You were never supposed to know, Glorfindel," Erestor replied quietly. "No one in Imladris other than Elrond and Celebrían were ever to know what I am."

The Elda shook his head. "I fought beside you against Sauron. I taught the children of our Lord with you. I called you friend and loved you as no other. You have betrayed that trust, Erestor." With those harsh words heavy between them, Glorfindel turned and quickly walked from the room, leaving Erestor behind.

The Noldo stood still for many moments, alone in the dark room, before Elrond returned. The Elf-lord slowly approached his friend, disbelief shining in his eyes.

"Erestor? Meldir? You... are crying."

Erestor looked over, his eyes shining with tears. "Aye," he said thickly. "The first tears since I died."

TBC...


	4. Chapter Three

Glorfindel sat on his balcony, staring out into the darkness. Darkness. Eyes the color of midnight and hair that reminded him of a starless sky.

Erestor.

A word. An Elf. And so much more to him than he realized.

Could he simply turn his back on their friendship? Had Erestor truly betrayed him?

Aye, he had. Glorfindel continued to sip his wine and glare into the darkness before him.

"You have wounded him, my Lord."

Glorfindel whipped his head around, his eyes wide as he took in the fair sight of his Lady.

"Aye, I can be just as silent as any warrior. Come, we must speak."

Glorfindel nodded and stood, returning to the main room of his suite and sitting across from Celebrían. "I am not sure what you would wish to speak to me of."

Celebrían smiled, her sky blue eyes dark and deep. "Aye, I think you do know."

"I do not wish to discuss him," he said, looking away from the ever-calm face of his Lady.

"I did not ask what you wished, Glorfindel," Celebrían said, and though her smile never faded from her face, her tone had become hard. "You will sit there and you _will_ listen to me. Though I love you as much as I ever have, you have brought grievous harm upon one whom I call 'gwador', and we must have words, my Lord."

Glorfindel's jaw twitched, but he nodded his assent. "Very well, my Lady. Where shall we begin?"

"I want you to understand that what Elrond and I offer Erestor we do so of our own free will. He has not bewitched us, he has not seduced me, and there is no sexual relationship between Erestor and myself or Erestor and Elrond. We are healers, and Erestor is in need of much healing." Celebrían drew back the long sleeve of her gown and revealed a white bandage around her wrist.

"Healing? You are trying to return him to what he was?" Glorfindel asked, his eyes trained on the slender wrist.

Celebrían shook her head. "Warriors, do you only think of the physical? My Lord, there is more to healing than blood and bones, skin and herbs. There is a deep wound in Erestor, one filled with such darkness and shame, and that is the wound my husband and I try to heal."

Glorfindel scoffed. "By allowing him to... to..." He could not even speak the words, his distaste evident in his features.

"He comes to one of us every three days, his head bowed in disgrace and his eyes never meet ours during the entire exchange. Erestor is a proud Elf, he is an honorable Elf, and for him to need this is beyond him," she said, her voice softening.

"How did this begin?" Glorfindel asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Celebrían chuckled. "How it all began? We were guests here, remember? Adar, Naneth and I. The moment he bowed before me, I knew something was different about him, as did Nana. We spoke with him later, and he did confess a portion of his past. Nana knew him from her time in Aman, and her heart grieved at his loss. It was only after our bonding that Elrond was told of Erestor's... condition. We agreed to help him, since he was barely surviving on the animals he hunted in the woods." Celebrían chewed her lip absently for a moment. "It was I who first offered it to him. Elrond was unsure, but I could not see Erestor suffer any longer."

"Suffer? He preyed on the living; what suffering had he?" the Elda asked, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Glorfindel, this behavior does not become you," Celebrían admonished. "Erestor suffers. He is ashamed of his needs. And what he lives off is now freely given, not taken," she said, the smile returning to her face. "It pleases me, and it pleases Elrond, to have such a close relationship with Erestor. He is family to us. A parent to our children, and a brother to us."

Glorfindel silently regarded Celebrían in the dim light of the lamps. He still tried to understand where his anger came from, why this new facet of his friend upset him so. "He bites you."

Celebrían shook her head. "Nay, he does not." She unwound the bandage from her wrist and presented the wound to Glorfindel. It was a thin, single line, drawn over the pale blue veins of her wrist. "I use a blade, as does Elrond, when Erestor comes to us."

"Why?"

She blinked, as if not prepared for the question. "Well, as Erestor explains it, to... bite," she stumbled, blushing slightly. "To bite is a very intimate act to him, one he only desires to do with a lover. At least, when taking sustenance and not to kill."

"To kill. Which is what he did before you and Elrond offered yourselves to him," Glorfindel said, curling his lip. "He is no Elf, Celebrían. No Elf would do as he has."

Celebrían's eyes darkened and her lips frowned. "He is an Elf, Glorfindel, same as you. He is hurt by your words and by your disgust. For one who claimed to love him as no other, you treat him with no love at all."

Glorfindel had the grace to flush at the accusation. "He has lied to me."

"How? How has he lied?" she asked, crossing her arms. In that moment, Glorfindel could have sworn he was looking into Galadriel's eyes, not Celebrían's. "Because he did not tell you a secret he is ashamed of? Well, if that is what counts as a lie, then you are as guilty as he."

"I know not what you mean," Glorfindel replied. "I am honorable and there is nothing I hide from him."

Celebrían tilted her head to the side. "Have you shown him the mark of the Balrog upon your neck?"

Glorfindel stared with wide eyes, and silence was his only response.

"I see. You have not. Why, Glorfindel?"

"It is a painful memory, one I do not wish to recall often," he said in a tight voice.

"Aye. And his pain is just as near, just as real, my Lord. Does that mean you have lied to him all these centuries?" she asked, standing from her chair.

Glorfindel's eyes were trained on the hem of her gown, his vision blurring. "No."

"Does knowing his hurts make him any less to your heart?" Her voice was soft in his ears and she placed her hand on his cheek, the mark of Erestor's feeding before his eyes.

"No."

She knelt before him, her eyes large and bright, and her lips pink and curved into a loving smile. "Erestor's wounds run deep. Do not leave him the dark, without your brightness to light his way. He needs you, more than he needs Elrond or I."

*****

Erestor's eyes were closed, his mind awash with sorrow. "He will never speak to me again, Elrond."

A warm hand touched his chilled brow and Elrond continued to stroke Erestor's long, silken locks. "Celebrían is speaking with him, gwador," he said, looking down into the pale face cradled in his lap. "She will make him see sense."

"Sense? What sense is there?" Erestor sat up, drawing away from his friend. "I am a beast -- nothing more."

Elrond's stormy gaze darkened. "You are much more, and you know this. You are not a beast; you an Elf of Aman, one who saw the light of the Two Trees-"

"An Elf who never see his home again!" Erestor broke in. "When all of you leave this plain and return to that bright land, I will be here. I will be here long after Man has left and the earth is old and tired, and though I will live just as long as you, I will be alone." Erestor looked away. "Alone with _him_."

"Maglor did what he did to save you," Elrond said quietly.

Erestor's dark eyes met Elrond's, hatred shining in their black depths. "He should have let me die."

Elrond stood, walking toward the door. "Your tale was not over, Erestor. You had much work to do; you still have much to do. You are needed."

"And when I am needed no more?" the Noldo asked, his head bowed.

Elrond sighed and opened the door, and stood face to face with Glorfindel. "Erestor, I believe you have a guest."

TBC...


	5. Chapter Four

Erestor shifted uncomfortably as Elrond shut the door, leaving him alone with Glorfindel. He looked up; for once, he was nervous and frightened. Erestor did not think he could take any more harsh words from the golden Elf. "Lord Glorfindel," he said, bowing slightly at the Elf-lord.

Glorfindel sat in a chair near Erestor. "I want to know about you," he said softly. "If you do not mind telling me," he added, his eyes downcast.

"Why would you want to know about me, Glorfindel?" Erestor asked bitterly.

"Forgive me, meldir, it was not very noble of me to say what I did in our Lord's chambers."

Blue eyes lifted and the apology shone in their depths; Erestor nodded and sat across from Glorfindel. "What would you like to know?" the Noldo asked.

Glorfindel thought for a moment. "What is it like?" Erestor actually laughed, and Glorfindel realized he would like to make the Noldo do so again.

"What it is like. All right, I shall humor you. It is cold. It is colder than you can imagine. The only time I feel warmth is when I feed. It is loud; filled with a cacophony of sounds that I cannot silence. But most of all, it is lonely. You heard the tales as a young Elf, just as all other Elves -- tales of the iârhagor. You are wise, meldir; others are not. They would not look upon me kindly. And so I remain alone." Erestor crossed his legs and looked to the Elda with a challenge in his eyes.

Glorfindel shifted nervously in his seat. Erestor was right, of course. The iârhagor was a creature of superstition and fear, a bedtime story to scare Elfings. "What do you see and hear, then, instead of feel?" he prodded gently to change the subject.

Erestor closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before his lashes slowly parted and he spoke. "I see the slight flush of your skin; I see the pulse throb in your throat. Your lips are damp with the wine you sipped before seeking me out and your eyes are soft and curious. I can hear the steady beat of your heart; it always reminds me of when you return from patrol, the sound Asfaloth makes as he trots along. I hear the gentle, slow intake of your breath and I can smell the wine-sweet scent when you exhale." Erestor smiled, the ruby lips parting slightly to show white, even teeth.

Glorfindel was breathless as he spoke. "What else do you know?"

"The wine you sipped before coming to me was to ease the fright you felt," Erestor said simply.

"How do you know that? Are you able to read my thoughts?" Glorfindel asked. The Eldar could enter each other's minds, but that was not what Glorfindel was asking; to enter Glorfindel's thoughts required the Elda's permission. He had never given Erestor that permission.

Erestor shook his head. "No, I do not read minds. I know your body very well, meldir. I know how your heartbeat sounds when you spar; what it is when you walk and talk with me in the garden. I know," he said with a cheeky grin, "what you smell like after a dalliance in your rooms or a kiss under the honeysuckle. When you came into this room tonight, I knew the change in your scent, in your movements and in your blood."

Glorfindel's mind raced to know the extent Erestor paid attention to him. He had never noticed the Noldo watching him. The Elda had not realized Erestor had spent that much time with him!

"And now you blush. Very endearing, meldir," Erestor teased.

"I am not blushing!" Glorfindel glared at Erestor.

Erestor smiled. "Aye, you are, though most would not see it. But, I do."

"You cannot read minds," Glorfindel said, drawing the conversation away from him. "There are many tales told to frighten children; they had to have come from somewhere. What is it that makes you special?"

"You mean, other than the fangs and picky appetite?" At Glorfindel's exasperated nod, Erestor sighed. "I have more endurance than the average Elf or Man. It takes longer for me to become weary, which makes me a wonderful asset in battle." Erestor smiled self-deprecatingly.

Glorfindel nodded, misunderstanding the expression. "Aye. You are an amazing sight on the field of battle."

Erestor smirked. "Thank you, my Lord." Glorfindel did blush then, but Erestor continued. "I am able to bend others to my will, but only with simple commands."

"Like the other night when you told me to sit..." Glorfindel said, his words trailing off.

"And you simply did. Aye. I also have very strong claws when I desire to climb a tree or rip... well, when I need them," Erestor said, averting his eyes in shame. "I have an affinity with animals; the wolves and wild cats come when I call them."

Glorfindel smiled. "I am sure that comes in handy," the Elda said.

"It can," Erestor replied, chuckling. "I am much stronger than Elves, than even a Cave Troll. I can snap a Man's neck with one hand. I am swifter than the wolf; I can move faster than sight."

"I have seen that," Glorfindel said, his hand absently tugging at the collar of his tunic. "Was Maglor just like you? Had he the same talents?"

Erestor shook his head, his dark locks falling into his face. "Nay. Each of us is different."

Glorfindel pondered on this and then nodded. "I can understand that."

"Can you?" Erestor asked, tucking a tress behind his ear.

"Yes. Nature loves variety," Glorfindel said with a shrug.

Erestor eyed the blond. "You say I am of nature, a natural thing in this world?"

Glorfindel smiled, a bright expression full of love and acceptance. "Aye, that is what I say, meldir. How could you not be? You are no Orc, no creation of the Dark Lord. You do not fear the sun as those creatures do. I have seen you revel in the sunlight, my Lord! What you are may have been a part of Melkor's song, but does not the Valaquenta tell us that so was the rain and the snow? And those are as natural as nature itself!"

The Noldo stood up, and Glorfindel did as well. "Do you need to retire now?" Glorfindel asked, uncharacteristically fidgeting.

"You are nervous, why?" Erestor asked, closing the space between them.

"I... I do not know," the blond said, trapped in the blackness of Erestor's gaze.

Erestor reached up, his hand driven by instinct. The Noldo watched his fingers trail over Glorfindel's cheek, along his jaw and down his throat. He licked his lips and felt a pull in him as he stared at the tracery of veins beneath the smooth skin. "Do you fear my bite?" he asked, his voice rough and deep.

Glorfindel trembled under the light touch. "No," he whispered.

"Do you want my bite?" the vampire asked.

"I-" Glorfindel began, but Erestor stepped away from him suddenly.

"Nay, do not answer that. It was unfair of me," Erestor said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Aye, I think I am ready to retire, if you do not mind."

Glorfindel nodded. "Of course." He bowed to his friend. "Will you join me for the evening meal tomorrow?" Glorfindel asked. "I desire your company."

Erestor smiled. "Aye, meldir."

The Elda bowed again and hastily left the room, his mind buzzing with all he had learned that night.

*****

Erestor's head was bowed as he knocked on the oak door. Elrond opened it, wearing a thin night robe. "Erestor." Elrond sounded unsurprised to see the Noldo at his door, and knew instantly why he had come. "You are early. You should not have need of me for at least two more nights."

"Elrond," the Noldo said, looking off in the distance. "He is a temptation." Somehow the simple statement was explanation enough.

The Peredhel nodded and drew Erestor into the inner room. Elrond shed his robe, standing in only his bed trousers before Erestor. The vampire knelt on the floor, his eyes closed. He smelled the blood when Elrond drew the blade across his wrist.

As he brought his lips to the warm fluid welling along the silken skin, Erestor pictured Glorfindel naked and golden. He wondered if the Elda would taste as sweet as he smelled; wondered if he would writhe beneath Glorfindel or if the Elda would submit to him. Erestor drank deeply from his Lord, sating the hunger and dulling the lust he felt.

When did he become this? When had he... fallen in love with Glorfindel?

TBC...


	6. Chapter Five

Glorfindel lay in his bed, eyes wide, unable to find reverie. So many things spun through his head. These muddled emotions he felt for Erestor haunted him. To know how much Erestor knew about him from his senses alone unnerved Glorfindel. He sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes angrily. Finally, he tossed the light sheet back and stood. If he couldn't sleep, then he wouldn't remain in the bed. The Elda walked to the doors that led to his balcony and looked through the window. He was certain that, should anyone be about at this hour and glance up to his rooms, they would be shocked to see the pale, tall form of the Balrog-slayer, golden and nude in the moonlight.

Erestor: slender, lithe, dark and fair. When they had stood so close and the Noldo had touched him, Glorfindel's heart had sped in his breast. He was certain Erestor knew the lust he had felt at that moment, the lust he felt well in him now.

Glorfindel felt himself fill and become hard as he lingered on the ruby lips of his friend, thought of the cool touches and the stinging bite Erestor could give. He shuddered as he reached for his shaft, and for a moment, he wished Erestor were with him to offer him release.

"Always be careful what you wish."

The Elda went to turn his head, but stopped when Erestor's hands embraced him from behind.

"Ah, ah. Look through the window. Touch yourself for me," the Noldo whispered against his ear.

Glorfindel's eyes slowly closed as he grasped his hard flesh, and a low moan fell from his lips. Erestor placed soft, warm kisses against the Elda's neck. The vampire's hands moved over his heated flesh, and Glorfindel stroked himself steadily. He was not prepared, though, for those arms to become vise-like or the sharp pain at his throat as Erestor bit him.

He moaned deeply and his head fell back to rest on Erestor's shoulder. Glorfindel felt a sense of connection with his friend, a warmth in his chest at giving and sharing such an intimate thing with him. His hand slowed, though his arousal throbbed painfully with every suckle Erestor made upon the wound in his skin. "Erestor," he whispered. He realized Erestor was naked behind him and a hot, hard length pressed against his backside. It was then he knew he would offer himself to the dark Noldo.

Erestor released him from the bite, and Glorfindel felt thin ribbons of warmth trickle along his skin. "No," Erestor breathed. "Tonight will not be the night you offer yourself to me, pen-valthen. I will not take you into my bed as mine until I can have your heart as well as your body." Glorfindel whimpered in disappointment. "But, I will offer you the release you so wanted." The Elda cried out as Erestor bit him again, reopening the small wounds, and batted his hand away from his length.

The vampire used his one hand to hold him tight against him, the other to stroke Glorfindel's shaft as he drank. Glorfindel reached his arms back and clung to Erestor's hips, pressing back against the Noldo's arousal.

Glorfindel felt his release building powerfully build with every stroke, and it took only one strong, deep draw on his neck to push him over the edge. He felt warmth against the cleft of his backside as he spilled himself over Erestor's hand.

The Elda sat up suddenly in his bed, panting and sweat-soaked. His eyes darted around his room, searching for the dark Elf.

A dream, thought to himself, covering his face with his hands. Nothing more than a dream.

Glorfindel pulled the sticky sheet from his body. He would have to change the bedsheets before he lay down again. The Elda was still hard, his night-time release not enough to have given him relief. He sighed and walked into his bathing chamber, drawing a cool bath where he could calm down.

When he was submerged in the water, stroking himself to completion, it was Erestor face he saw, Erestor's hands he imagined. When his seed mingled with the water, it was the Noldo's name he called.

*****

Erestor walked down the hall, away from Glorfindel's chambers. He had not lied when he said he could not read minds, but he could see dreams. To know Glorfindel longed for him had been the reason Erestor had manipulated those dreams; he had offered Glorfindel a glimpse of what it would mean to be his lover.

And the Elda had enjoyed it, had thrown himself into the vision. Hunger burned within him once again, brought on by the lust and the dream. He pushed it aside; he would not seek out his Lord and Lady. Erestor also knew he would not hunt an animal. The gnawing hunger was more a punishment for him; he should not desire the Elda as he did. But, he could not help what his heart felt, what his soul needed.

He needed Glorfindel.

He wondered if he should consult his Lord before he began to actively court the Elda, but tossed the idea aside. Glorfindel had come to his rooms every night for the past month, discussing Erestor's past, his future, his hopes, his fears, and the tension was growing between them.

This was just the beginning, and Erestor knew it. If Glorfindel could accept what Erestor was, and even desire it...

Erestor entered his chambers, stripping and slipping into his bed. He had been alone for so long; he had not shared his heart with any and his body only with Maglor. Could he really have found someone he could trust so completely? That he could love?

He turned in his bed and looked out the window at the blackness beyond. Darkness. If Glorfindel was his, he would risk losing himself and killing the Elda -- or worse, making him into what _he_ was. He could never do that, steal the light and fire from the blond. Those were what he loved about Glorfindel, and to separate him forever from Aman...

To make Glorfindel as he was... was a thought Erestor quickly dispatched. He could not. He could not do that. Glorfindel was good, was pure, and should return to his home. And to watch him die, to feel the Elf's heart slow in that terrible rhythm of death and know _he_ caused that death... It would not happen.

Ever.

He had never made one such as he, and to make an Elf into a creature of death was unthinkable to his mind. Erestor would make sure Glorfindel was always alive and warm and burning with his eternal flame.

Erestor continued to stare out his window from his bed, his mind full of sapphires and gold, of pale skin and strong muscle, and of a smile so bright it competed with the sun for blinding radiance.

Not for the first time, in the lonely darkness of his rooms, did Erestor curse his maker and curse the Valar for forsaking him to this doom. The tears he had thought he would never cry came again into his eyes and he wept bitterly into his pillow.

Happiness and love, acceptance and warmth were things of a distant past he could barely recall anymore.

Would he never find them again?

*****

Glorfindel had not found reverie again, and so he had come to the practice field as soon as the sun rose. Dressed in only his boots and leggings, he sparred with a new recruit for the border guards. It was on the second session that he shivered, feeling watched.

"I have never seen Master Erestor here before, my Lord," his sparring partner quietly remarked.

The Elda's head spun and he saw the Lord's Councilor leaning against the fencing that surrounded the sparring ring. Erestor's dark eyes were focused on Glorfindel's glistening form, warmed by the early morning sun. Glorfindel felt his cheeks flush at the memory of the erotic dream, and the blush deepened when Erestor slowly smiled at him. Somehow, the Noldo knew.

Not somehow, Glorfindel chided himself as he set to teaching his partner a new technique. Erestor could always tell these things about him, isn't that what the Noldo had told him?

Erestor watched him.

A lot.

This was nothing new; the only thing new about the situation was that Glorfindel was now _aware_ of the watching. The longer Erestor's glittering, heated gaze followed him, the more Glorfindel thought of the Councilor.

He thought of dark hair fanned on a white pillow. Long limbs bent and tight heat around him. Of sharp teeth and shattering climaxes.

He pictured himself, on hands and knees, offering his body to the vampire. Glorfindel could almost feel the thickness of Erestor inside him and that sense of giving as the Noldo drank from him in their passion.

"Forgive me," he said to the Elf who was trying to gain his attention to continue their lesson. "I am very distracted this morning. Might we continue this in the afternoon?" Before the Elf could respond, and under Erestor's ever-watchful eye, Glorfindel donned his shirt and left the field and headed to his chambers. He was painfully aroused, and it hadn't been but a few hours since he had found release in his bath.

Erestor smiled, offering the bewildered Elf a wink. "Our Lord Glorfindel has many things on his mind, pen neth," he said to the abandoned sparring partner. "I am sure he will... think on them as he bathes and prepares for the council session this afternoon."

The Noldo turned and walked slowly back to his office, his hunger for Glorfindel hot in his blood.

TBC...


	7. Chapter Six

He had watched the Elf for most of the day. Tall, slender, pale hair and a rosy blush. When the Elf moved about, Erestor was not far from him, tracking him through the grounds of Imladris. He slowly stalked, his hunger raging in him, and he watched. The sweet smell of the Elf caused him to salivate as he stood in the shadows. Any moment now, the Elf would walk to a darker area of the yard and Erestor could take him.

"Erestor?"

The dark Elf spun around. It had been ages, literally, since anyone had been able to sneak up on him. He stared into the confused eyes of Glorfindel.

"Why are you following Lindir about?" the Elda asked.

Erestor's eyes darted to the minstrel and the hunger welled up in him again. It was then he realized he had been hunting the Elf! "I... I need to find Elrond," he said, walking quickly from the bewildered Glorfindel.

*****

After the evening meal, Glorfindel made his way to Erestor's rooms. He tried to slow his heart as he knocked, but he knew it was useless. Erestor opened the door, his eyes clear and cheeks flushed, and invited Glorfindel in.

"Glorfindel." Erestor walked to the hearth and sat near the warmth of the fire.

"Erestor, I am worried about you," Glorfindel said, kneeling close to his friend. "Elrond and Celebrían are leaving for Mirkwood in the morning."

Erestor nodded, staring into the flames.

Glorfindel sighed. "What will you do?"

"I will do as I have done every other time they travel: I will hunt in the woods." Erestor shifted away from the Elda and Glorfindel frowned.

"But, you seek out our Lord and Lady almost every night, Erestor," the Balrog-slayer said, moving closer again.

Erestor's bottomless gaze settled on him. "How do you know that?"

Glorfindel smiled. "You are not the only one who watches."

"So it seems," Erestor said, looking back to the fire. "Aye, I do go to them every night."

"Why? Lady Celebrían had told me you visited every three days..." Glorfindel said, sitting himself comfortable on the wood floor. He liked being close to the Noldo; it comforted him.

Erestor shrugged. "The hunger is strong as of late. They have been most accommodating."

Glorfindel nodded. "Will the blood of animals sustain you?"

"It will. I will have to hunt more often, that is all," Erestor said, his eyes slowly moving to Glorfindel's face. "I have survived long on the blood of animals; I will survive this."

The blond ran his thumb over the inside of his wrist, his cheeks flushing under Erestor's gaze. "I-- Erestor, would you allow me to replace them during their journey?" he asked quickly before he lost his nerve.

Silence descended in the room, and it was only when the silence became uncomfortable that Glorfindel looked up. Erestor's black eyes were wide, and he was so still. Glorfindel met the gaze, unblinking and open to the penetrating eyes.

"No, Glorfindel, I will not allow it," Erestor finally said, quickly averting his eyes.

Glorfindel's eyes narrowed and he felt a stab of anger run through him. "Why?"

Erestor sighed. "I cannot do that to you."

"Yet you do it to them!" Glorfindel said, his voice rising.

"They are different!" Erestor shot back, standing up and glaring down at Glorfindel.

"How?" the Elda demanded, standing as well. Erestor flung his hand up. "They just are."

"Do it; _now_. Once, Erestor, and then I will not press the issue. Once they are gone, if you cannot come to me, then I will not come to you. But, do it _once_. Do not deny me the closeness you have with them because of some notion of nobility you have!" Glorfindel said.

"No."

"Do it!"

"No!"

Glorfindel drew his dagger and quickly dragged it across the tender skin of his wrist. He gasped, and the blade fell to the floor as the blood dripped freely down his hand. "Yes," he ground out, holding his arm toward the wide-eyed Noldo.

"Glorfindel, do not tempt me!" Erestor pleaded, his eyes focused of the splash of red on Glorfindel's wrist.

The blond Elf walked toward Erestor. "Drink."

Erestor shook his head, his face a mask of fear.

"Why do you fear me?" Glorfindel asked, still offering his wrist.

"I fear I will not stop," Erestor whispered as he fell to his knees, drawing Glorfindel's slashed wrist to his lips.

Glorfindel shuddered as the wet heat of Erestor's mouth covered the wound. He watched through half-lidded eyes as Erestor tasted him for the first time and he felt himself harden in his leggings. The Elda moaned softly and wondered if the vampire's bite could be any more erotic than what he did now.

Suddenly, Erestor drew back with a cry and stared up at Glorfindel, crimson smeared across his pale lips. "You cannot come here again," he managed.

The blond wrapped his wrist with a handkerchief, staunching the blood. "Why?"

"You risk your life offering me your blood, Glorfindel," Erestor said, rubbing the ruby fluid from his lips.

"You do not injure Elrond or Celebrían, why should you injure me?" Glorfindel asked, leaning against the tall bedpost.

Erestor drew his knees to his chest. "Please, do not offer again," he said, his eyes locked on a lone floorboard.

"The offer has been made. You know where to find me." Glorfindel bowed slightly and then walked from the room, his arousal throbbing and his heart sore. Was he so terrible? Did Erestor _not_ desire him as he had thought?

*****

Erestor waited for a long time after Glorfindel left before he stood. His head still spun from the drink he had taken from the bleeding wrist. Glorfindel was as sweet and potent as Erestor had thought, but the need to bite -- to possess -- had risen in him and he could not risk hurting the Elda.

He loved him, how could he want to hurt him?

The Noldo walked quickly from his rooms and into the main yard. He removed his robe, standing nude in the light of the stars, and sprinted off into the woods. His senses stretched out before him, seeking prey. Anything, everything, he needed to quell the hunger.

Before long he scented a large buck. His eyes adjusted quickly to the night and his mind moved to a more animalistic mentality. He hunted the buck, tracking him, prowling and stalking until the animal stopped for a drink of water at a pond.

Erestor sprung on the deer, gave chase when it darted off, and brought it down with a deadly swipe of his clawed hand. On the leaf-packed floor of the Imladrian wood, Erestor bent his head and bit deep into the throat of the buck.

He drank, feeling the heartbeat quicken and then slow... then stop.

And still he hungered.

Still he wanted Glorfindel; he still tasted him.

He lifted his vermilion colored face to the sky and howled. He cried his sadness and anger and self-loathing to Elbereth. When his voice broke, tears fell down his face and he sat back on his heels, weeping over the corpse of the fallen buck.

He was no more than an animal.

TBC...


	8. Chapter Seven

Erestor walked down the long, stone hall. All were asleep, except for the guards. His red satin sleep trousers whispered quietly as he stole soundlessly through the halls; the matching robe was unbound and fluttered in the light breeze. Erestor's hair was loose and hung in thick locks to his waist, and his eyes were dark, burning with need. His expression was feral, a half smile, half sneer, that revealed the long teeth usually kept hidden from view.

He slowed and then stopped, looking at the heavy door before him. His tongue trailed along the long teeth, then out to wet his lips. He was hungry.

The Noldo knocked on the door. He had hunted in the woods for almost a week, his hunger unsated and his desire hot in him. He could no longer stop himself.

Glorfindel opened the door, clad in a simple robe, and stared at Erestor.

"I need you," the vampire said simply, looking directly at Glorfindel, something he could not do with his Lord and Lady.

The Elda nodded and stepped back, allowing Erestor entrance to his suite. "I wondered if you would come."

Erestor leaned forward, his eyes closed and a smile on his lips. "I could smell you down the hall."

Glorfindel took his dagger from his night table. He watched Erestor kneel on the floor, eyes intent on Glorfindel's movements. The Elda easily made a cut in his wrist, the previous gash having long since healed. He offered the appendage to the hungry Elf, his heart racing. "Why do you fear me?" The Noldo gently took Glorfindel's arm, bringing the wound to his lips. "I fear what I feel," he said, dragging his tongue lightly along the cut.

The blond hissed, though he throbbed with his own hunger. "What do you feel?"

"Love," Erestor said before latching onto his wrist, drinking deeply.

Glorfindel moaned. "Love..." His wrist stung with the strength of Erestor's suckling. "Erestor," he said, trying to pull his arm away. "Stop, you are hurting me." When Erestor's grip tightened, Glorfindel panicked. He grabbed Erestor's long hair and pulled, wrenching the Elf from his bleeding wrist. He looked down into wild eyes, sharp teeth and smeared blood. "You fear your love?" he asked, looking into the feral face.

"I fear my need for you!" Erestor snarled.

The Elda smiled. "You love me. You need me."

The desperate gleam faded from Erestor's eyes. "Aye," he whispered.

"I love you. And I need you, too," Glorfindel said softly, bending down and capturing the red lips in a searing kiss. He tasted the copper of his blood and the sweetness of Erestor as he drove his tongue into the hot cavern of Erestor's mouth.

The dark Elf whimpered into the kiss and reached up, wrapping his arms around Glorfindel's neck. The Elda released the raven hair and drew Erestor up, breaking the kiss to pant. "Never be afraid," he said, licking at Erestor's lips. "You will never do more than I allow. Trust me."

Erestor looked into the cobalt eyes and slowly nodded. "I trust you."

"Come to bed, Erestor," Glorfindel said, taking Erestor's hand and pulling him to the oversized mattress. Glorfindel smiled as he slipped Erestor's robe from his body; the dark Elf was trembling. "We can stop," he said, loosening the tie of Erestor's sleeping trousers.

"No," Erestor whispered, his trousers falling to the floor. He stood nude before Glorfindel, his pale, long limbs and slender body exposed utterly to his lover. "Please, do not stop."

Glorfindel kissed Erestor again, bringing the Noldo's hands to the waist of his trousers. Erestor's hands shook as he untied the tie and bared Glorfindel to his hungry eyes. Glorfindel bore Erestor down on the bed, pressing their bodies together for the first time. The Noldo was hard and damp, as ready as Glorfindel was to finally have one another. Erestor's legs parted eagerly, and Glorfindel nestled himself between the dark Elf's thighs. He began to tenderly kiss Erestor again, and the Elf pulled away.

"Do not be so gentle with me," Erestor panted. "I am no virgin maid to be cajoled into giving away my virtue." The Elda nodded and returned to Erestor's lips, delving into the open mouth and claiming the Noldo as his. He moved against Erestor's body and they both moaned. Erestor drew his legs up, arching his back and begged with his body to simply be taken. Tonight was not the night for gentle lovemaking, and Glorfindel reached for the phial of oil in his night table. "Has it been long?" he asked, pouring oil into his palm.

"Just be generous with the oil and take me!" Erestor demanded, his face flushed and his body hard.

Glorfindel's shaft swelled with the words and he nodded. "Very well." He coated himself with the thick oil and rubbed two fingers against Erestor's opening. The Elda pressed forward, watching Erestor arc off the bed and into his hand.

Erestor's eyes slipped closed as he was breached. "Glorfindel!" he cried, biting his lip with his sharp teeth.

The Elda spread the lubricant deep into Erestor, and then withdrew his fingers. Before Erestor could complain, though, he thrust forward into the tight, trembling heat of his lover's body. "Oh, Erestor," he said, his moan a sharp contrast to the loud cry ripped from Erestor's throat. They both panted, lying still in each other's arms, until Erestor's muscles uncoiled. Glorfindel moved slowly at first, but Erestor's pleas for more, more strength, more speed, just _more_ , drove the Elda to set a harsh, punishing pace.

The dark Elf clung to him, crying out with every forward thrust and moaning when Glorfindel withdrew from his heat. Glorfindel had never imagined the quiet, solemn Elf to be so wanton; Erestor wrapped his legs around Glorfindel's waist and the Elda plunged deeper into Erestor's passage. With every upward thrust of Erestor's hips, Glorfindel found himself propelled toward a shattering climax. "Erestor," he breathed, looking down into the damp face.

"Glorfindel," Erestor said, his lips parted and his eyes glazed. Erestor's body was tense, so needy, and Glorfindel took him in hand. "No, Glorfindel," he said, reaching up to bring his lips down for a kiss. "I want to taste you; I want to feel you fill me as I drink from you," the Noldo whispered, his lips brushing over Glorfindel's chin.

"Aye, Erestor," Glorfindel whispered and he slipped his arms under Erestor's back. He slowed their lovemaking, buried deep within Erestor and thrusting shallowly. Erestor brushed the hair back from Glorfindel's face and neck, running his tongue over the rapidly beating vein in his throat. "I trust you," Glorfindel whispered against Erestor's ear before he cried out, Erestor's teeth puncturing his skin.

There was only a momentary pain, and then a connection. He continued to move in Erestor, holding him close to his body as the vampire drank from him. Glorfindel moaned, an intense build up pooling in his groin, and then he plummeted over the precipice. His seed flooded Erestor's passage, his orgasm long and draining.

Erestor sobbed against Glorfindel's throat, his arousal pressed between their snug bodies, and he soon found his own release. His essence spread, and he lifted his mouth, licking at the small wounds on Glorfindel's skin. The Elda continued to thrust, slowly coming down from the erotic heights Erestor had taken him to.

*****

The sun was rising and Glorfindel blinked. In his arms, lost in reverie, was Erestor. The Elda had not thought he would ever have the dark Elf in his arms, and he smiled.

Glorfindel slipped from the bed, his muscles slightly stiff from all the intense use they had received during the night. Erestor had been insatiable, and Glorfindel had been happy to offer all he was to the Noldo. He entered the bathing chamber and looked into the mirror.

On his neck was a small bruise; one could mistake it for a passion mark. A matching bruise bloomed on the inside of his thigh. Glorfindel smiled, running his fingertips over the bite mark; he remembered his release coming as Erestor drank from that spot, the Noldo's seed filling his mouth as he swallowed Erestor's length. Aye, he was happy.

And sated.

Erestor's dark form appeared in the mirror. "Forgive me; I do not normally feed so... voraciously."

Glorfindel turned, kissing Erestor's swollen lips. "There is nothing to forgive, melethen. It was the most... wonderful night of my long life."

"Truly?" the Noldo asked, looking young and vulnerable.

"Truly," Glorfindel replied, kissing him again. "Do not leave my side or my bed, Erestor," he said, pulling the Elf into a crushing embrace.

Erestor choked on a sob. "I will never leave so long as you do not send me away."

"Never. I will never send you away," Glorfindel vowed.

A laugh, bright and clear, erupted from Erestor as he hugged his lover. "I am warm."

TBC...


	9. Chapter Eight

Glorfindel brushed his long, golden hair out, leaving loose about his shoulders to hide the fresh bite mark on his throat. "We must speak with them, Erestor. They will expect you tonight."

The Noldo looked away from the vista spread before him, the woods of Imladris alight with the early morning sun. "I know." He hugged himself, his eyes returning to the view out the window. "I am just... afraid. I do not want them to think I seduced you, or am simply using you."

"You misjudge them, melethron," Glorfindel said, slipping his belt on. "They will be happy for us."

Erestor sighed and nodded, pulling his boots on. "Very well. We should do it now, then. Better than let them think we are hiding from them."

Glorfindel nodded and took Erestor's hand, leading the wary Noldo to their Lord and Lady's chambers. Elrond welcomed them into the bright room, made brighter by Celebrían's smile as she greeted the two nervous Elves.

As they sat in the sitting room of the Lord's rooms, Celebrían chuckled and waved at Glorfindel's wild mane. "Glorfindel... you never wear your hair loose," she said, looking between Erestor and Glorfindel.

"That is why we are here, my Lady," Glorfindel said. He opened his mouth to continue, but her sudden intake of breath and tinkling laughter stopped him.

Celebrían turned to Elrond. "Did I not tell you?" she asked, and returned her warm blue eyes to the pair before her. "Will you be sharing quarters now?" the bubbling lady asked.

Erestor shifted uncomfortably as all eyes turned to him. "We... have not decided that, yet. We have only just decided..." he trailed off. He knew it was not possible for the ierhegyr to blush, but if it were, he would have.

Glorfindel must have sensed it, though, because he came to Erestor's rescue. "I am a terrible roommate anyway," he said hastily. "The housekeeping staff draws lots every week to see who has to clean up after me." The comment had the intended effect as everyone in the room -- including Erestor -- broke into chuckles.

With the tension broken, Erestor felt freer to continue. "I want to thank you both, truly," he said to the Lord and Lady. "You took me in when you could have abandoned me, succored me when you could have destroyed me, and loved me when you could have reviled me. I could not be where I am without you. And now that Glorfindel and I have found each other, I will not have to impose my hungers upon you any longer."

Elrond accepted the outstretched hand, and then pulled Erestor into a firm embrace, whispering how happy he was for the older Noldo. Celebrían, meanwhile, remained seated and addressed Glorfindel. "Are you certain?" she asked soberly.

"Aye, Lady. I am," Glorfindel replied, staring levelly into Celebrían's eyes. He meant what he said; this was no passing fancy. He was Erestor's, from now until the fates parted them. But, he would never desert the Noldo. Ever.

*****

He was nervous. This night was different from any other night he had spent with Glorfindel. Erestor lay sprawled on the large bed, nude and hard. He was aroused just from the thought of his lover and Erestor waited impatiently for the Elda to return from the evening meal. The anxious vampire did not have to wait long.

Glorfindel entered the room, already shedding his heavy formal robes. "I must admit," Glorfindel said, not noticing the state his lover was in, "your condition is convenient when Imladris feasts." Standing in his house boots and leggings, he finally turned to Erestor. His eyes, wide and unblinking, raked over the Noldo's form. "Erestor?"

"I would like you to make love with me tonight," Erestor said, almost shyly, as he sat up on his knees. "Will you?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Have I not almost every night this past month?" Glorfindel asked, slipping off his boots and taking Erestor's hand.

Erestor shook his head. "Not like that."

"Then what?" Glorfindel climbed on the bed, shivering as Erestor's warm hands ran over his torso. Those hands made short work of the ties of his leggings and Glorfindel's half-erect sex was bared to Erestor's hungry gaze. The Elda watched through heavy lids as Erestor leaned down and lapped at the head of his shaft. "Erestor?"

"Hush," the dark Elf said, pushing Glorfindel back onto the mattress and taking him into his mouth. The scent of Glorfindel and the sound of his moans as he sucked him deep drove Erestor mad. He did not want to wait; he needed to feel Glorfindel within him. Erestor let Glorfindel's length slip from his slick lips and he looked up into the blue gaze. "I need you now, seron vell."

Glorfindel nodded and reached for the salve on their night table, sitting up on his knees. When he returned his eyes to Erestor, the Noldo was on his hands and knees, his thighs parted and his backside proffered. "Erestor, we never make love in this fashion," he said, bewilderment written on his face.

Erestor cast a glance over his shoulder. "Glorfindel, I do not _have_ to feed from you every time we are intimate," Erestor said, his voice low. "Overfeeding is just as dangerous as underfeeding. It has been lovely, having that closeness with you through the blood, but please... have me this way tonight."

"Anything you desire," Glorfindel said, inching into position behind Erestor's up-raised buttocks. He dipped his fingers into the pot of salve before placing them at the entrance to Erestor's body. All their other lovemaking sessions had been fast, hungry, and Glorfindel decided he would take his time this night. He slipped a finger slowly into Erestor's body, closing his eyes as the velvet heat surrounded this flesh. "You are always so tight," Glorfindel commented as he worked the salve into the clenching passage.

"Glorfindel," Erestor moaned. He seemed to take a moment to collect himself before he continued. "I am dead. My body does not become used to the activities we enjoy; it is always the same as the day I fell in Angband."

Glorfindel paused, somewhat taken aback by this. "Then it is always as painful as the first time?" he asked, gently stroking Erestor's smooth buttock with his free hand.

"And ever as pleasurable," Erestor said with a grin, pushing back a bit to encourage his lover to continue.

The Elda chuckled and resumed his task. He gently added a second finger, his smile widening as Erestor let out a low mew. "You are just like a cat," he said, scissoring inside Erestor's body.

"I am not," Erestor panted, rocking back to meet Glorfindel's fingers.

"Yes, you are. Your back is arched, I can see you clawing the bedsheets and you press back against me as if in heat," Glorfindel teased, slipping a third finger into the tight confines of Erestor's backside.

Erestor spread his thighs further and closed his eyes. His arousal throbbed and dripped steadily and he wanted to beg Glorfindel to simply take him. "Why are you taking so long?" he asked impatiently. Glorfindel playfully swatted Erestor's buttocks. "You have had me ravage you each night we have lain together, Erestor. Be patient and allow me to enjoy you. Slowly."

The Noldo growled. "I am sufficiently lubricated, Glorfindel," he insisted.

"Erestor. Understand something. I am the Seneschal of Imladris. You are the Chief Councilor of Elrond's household. I outrank you. Now, hush unless you..." he trailed off, crooking his fingers inside Erestor, rubbing the bump he found. Erestor let out a keening cry. "You do that," Glorfindel finished. Glorfindel withdrew his fingers and coated his shaft generously. He pressed the blunt head to Erestor's opening and pressed in, slowly breaching the Noldo until just the tip of his length was past the ring of muscle.

Erestor panted, and his legs trembled as he waited for Glorfindel to continue to move forward. When nothing happened, and he simply felt spread wide, he looked over his shoulder at the grinning Elda. "What is it," he said, closing his eyes a moment as Glorfindel moved in a little further, "that you think you are doing?"

"Going slowly," Glorfindel said, allowing a bit more of his length to be swallowed by Erestor's quivering body.

"You are evil!" Erestor cried, all his muscles tensed, waiting.

A little more. "No, I love you."

"If you loved me, you would take me," Erestor whimpered.

Further. "I am taking you."

"No! You are but teasing me!" Erestor sobbed, his passage slowly filled. "Please, Glorfindel... do not torment me so."

Glorfindel bent and kissed the skin just above the crevice in Erestor's backside. "I will not be hurried."

The candles were but pools of wax when Glorfindel's shaft was buried to the root in Erestor. The Noldo panted and gripped at the wooden footboard, his nails making crescent moon shapes as he clenched his fists. They were both covered in a sheen of sweat, and Erestor's arousal was heavy and dark. "Glorfindel," Erestor managed weakly. "Do not tarry with me any longer," he begged.

The Elda withdrew until just the head of his shaft remained within Erestor and then he forcefully thrust forward. A strangled cry left Erestor as he was filled. Glorfindel kept a languid pace, though he plunged into his lover with the same ferocity he had initially. When his release would creep up, he would still inside the pulsing channel until the tingle of completion faded. Glorfindel would not allow Erestor to touch himself, and he would not stroke his lover's needful flesh.

"Glorfindel, you shall drive me mad!" Erestor sobbed. "End this!"

Glorfindel slipped his hand beneath their rocking bodies, wrapping his long fingers around Erestor's damp, rigid length. "Is this what you want?" he panted in the vampire's ear.

"Yes!" Erestor gasped.

The Elda stopped their movement for a moment to shift their position, ignoring Erestor's cry of protest. When he was done rearranging them, Erestor was upright, straddling Glorfindel with his back still to the Elda. "Move, Erestor. If you want your release, then move," Glorfindel instructed.

Erestor leaned forward, bracing himself on the mattress and shoved forward into Glorfindel's fist. He then sat back down, impaling himself on his lover's thick shaft. "Glorfindel!"

"Yes," Glorfindel hissed. "Keep moving."

The dark Elf's movements were frantic, desperate, as he moved between fist and spear. It wasn't long before he sat back once more, his seed spilling from his body and over his lover's hand. Glorfindel groaned behind him, Erestor's clutching passage milking his release from him. Erestor fell back into Glorfindel's welcoming embrace. "You are cruel," he said, exhaustion heavy in his voice.

Glorfindel kissed Erestor's temple. "Did you not enjoy it?"

Erestor chuckled, a pleasant soreness settling in his backside where Glorfindel's member still pulsed with each heartbeat. "Aye, I did," Erestor said, his gaze going dark.

*****

The sun had not yet risen, but night was over. Erestor stood on the balcony of Glorfindel's room, his eyes sweeping over the lands of Elrond. It was beautiful in its darkness. He was not fully rested, and his body ached from his exertions with Glorfindel, but he was happy. He turned to re-enter their bedroom and rejoin his lover in their bed, but his path was blocked.

He looked up with wide, unbelieving eyes at the person before him.

"No..." he whispered, taking a step back. "No."

A smile spread on the pale face and the grey eyes glittered in the night. "Aye, hênen," Maglor said, reaching his hand out to caress Erestor's cheek. "I have returned to you." (my child)

TBC...


	10. Chapter Nine

Erestor walked past the older Elf, crossing his arms. "Why are you here?" he asked quietly.

"What, no kiss?" Maglor teased. "I should think you would be happier to see me. It _has_ been a very long time, after all."

Erestor narrowed his eyes.

Maglor sighed. "You used to be so much more fun. Erestor, you know exactly why I am here," he said, his grey gaze falling on the sleeping Glorfindel. "You made me a promise."

"You cannot still be bitter over that!" Erestor cried. "It was over an Age ago, and he is still alive. He is still here."

Maglor closed the distance between them and cupped Erestor's face in his hands. "A promise, an oath," Maglor whispered, kissing Erestor's pale lips. "And I of all people know the power of an oath. You will fulfill your promise, Erestor, or I will destroy you."

Erestor closed his eyes; tears slipped slowly down his cheeks as he remembered...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Erestor returned from Gil-galad's large office, carrying several tomes the High King had asked him to read through. There was so much work, and he also had to train the Peredhel to aid the King. As he put the heavy books down, he sighed. He should check in on Elrond. The young Half-Elf had been plagued with nightmares since his twin had chosen a path that took him from Elrond's side, and Erestor tried to offer him as much support as he could.

He knocked on Elrond's door, but there was no sound within that his ears could detect. Which was odd. Erestor tried the door and found it unlocked. The Noldo slipped into the dark room. "Elrond?" he called softly. He knew the Peredhel was in the room; he could smell him. But, there was also another's scent, a familiar scent. "Why are you here?" he hissed at the dark-haired Elf standing over Elrond's sleeping form.

Maglor looked up from his foster child. "I have come for him," he said, lightly caressing Elrond's furrowed brow.

"Come for him? You will kill him?" Erestor asked, horrified, rushing to his maker's side.

"Of course not! I raised him as my own child! I will make him as we are," Maglor said.

Erestor gasped in disbelief. "Why in the name of Arda would you do that?"

Maglor's tormented eyes turned to Erestor again. "Elros is gone; he is on an island and a king, and he will die."

"But, Elrond has chosen to be counted among the Eldar," Erestor reminded him. "He will not die as Elros shall."

"His choice is not irrevocable like Elros'. He can choose to be as Elros is. I cannot risk that, Erestor. I have lost my brothers; I have lost my nephew; and now I have lost Elros. Elrond is all I have left now," Maglor said, leaning down to Elrond.

Erestor grabbed hold of Maglor and shoved him away from his charge. "You will not do to him what you did to me!" He glared at the taller vampire. "He will not be sullied in such a way."

"Erestor, do not provoke me," Maglor warned. "He is mine."

The younger Elf laughed. "Yours? The only reason you and Maedhros took them in was to assuage your guilt at having orphaned them!"

"Spoils of war," the Fëanorian said simply.

"Not this time!"

Maglor's hand shot out and the long fingers wrapped around Erestor's neck. He lifted Erestor off the ground until their eyes were level. "Do not test me, child. I will finish what the Orc started," Maglor growled, his fangs gleaming in the dim room. "I will not leave this room without Elrond by my side." Maglor threw Erestor across the room, sending him crashing into the stacked pile of wood by the fireplace.

Erestor staggered to his feet as Maglor bent again. The elder vampire's mouth opened wide, ready to strike the sleeping Peredhel. He moved on instinct, grabbing the poker from the hearth. "You will not have him!" he howled, throwing the cold iron across the room, aiming for Maglor's heart. The elder Elf was faster, though, and spun away from Erestor's thrust so that the poker hit his shoulder.

Maglor cried out in pain and pulled the poker from his body. "You think you would destroy me?" he demanded, advancing on Erestor. "Me? The one who saved you from death!"

"You did not save me from death, Maglor. You just introduced me to a new form of it," Erestor hissed back, standing his ground. "I mean it, Maglor. You will not have him. You will have to destroy me. And that will raise questions, will it not?"

The Fëanorian glared at Erestor, then looked at the stirring form of Elrond. Erestor knew Elrond slept unnaturally, but it would not last much longer. Maglor had to make a decision quickly. "Very well. He is yours. But, I want a promise from you, Erestor -- for I have spared your lives tonight. I want your word, your oath," he said, his lips curling cruelly around the last word. "You have condemned me to existing without my kin by denying me Elrond tonight; I will walk this world alone. It is only right you do the same. Should you find love, find someone who will give you eternity, I will come to you. I will take from you that which you have taken from me tonight. I will kill your lover."

Erestor lifted his chin. "You have my word, for all the good that it will do. I will never find love in this world, for you have assured all would turn from me in disgust. Should I ever find lasting love, you may come and take them from me," Erestor vowed. "You have my promise, now leave."

Maglor smiled again and nodded. "Always remember." The elder vampire stepped onto the balcony and jumped, disappearing from Erestor's life once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"You cannot do this, Maglor," Erestor said. "Elrond still lives."

Maglor laughed. "And he will leave these shores eventually, Erestor. They all will, including your fair one. Why should it matter if I take him now or he leaves you then? You made a promise!"

Erestor shook his head. "No! You have me, Maglor. You ensured I shared your fate, and I will walk these shores with you. We will never truly be alone." Erestor could not allow Maglor to take what he had _just_ found. Erestor could not go back to the cold, to the loneliness. "You must leave, Maglor. Allow me some amount of happiness."

"A promise, Erestor. Among the Eldar, it is sacred." Erestor glared at Maglor; he was hardly one of the Eldar any longer, now was he? "You cannot just tell me 'no'," Maglor continued, drawing his sword. "We can never see the light of Aman again." He walked slowly toward Glorfindel, gaze intent on the golden Elf. "Our flames were extinguished when we became these... beasts. But, Glorfindel... he is the slayer of a Balrog; he has seen Aman twice already. Let him return there now."

"No!" Erestor cried as Maglor raised his blade to strike through Glorfindel's heart. As the elder Noldo brought his sword down, though, Glorfindel rolled from the bed and onto the floor.

The golden Elf stood up, gloriously nude and a fell sight. Erestor saw the fire within Glorfindel's eyes, the power that welled inside the Elf. "You will not be taking my life from me so easily, Maglor," Glorfindel said, stepping back as the Fëanorian hopped over the bed. "I do believe Erestor said you should leave."

Maglor chuckled and reached for Glorfindel, but the Elda would have none of it. He drew his fist back and swung, striking Maglor sharply across the jaw. Maglor's body twisted with the force of Glorfindel's blow, and he growled at the Elda. "I will not leave until I collect what is mine."

"Maglor," Erestor said. "Alone, you could destroy me. Alone, you could likely outlast Glorfindel. But, you will not walk from this room so long as we both stand. You will no longer haunt my life, whatever it may be." Erestor clenched his fists. "You will never be alone, Iâr-adar, for I share your destiny," he whispered. "Leave." (blood-father)

The elder Noldo looked between them both, his anger slowly cooling. "Very well." He smiled sadly at Erestor. "If only all oaths were so easy to break," he said. Maglor turned to the window again, and Erestor had the surreal sense of reliving his past.

Erestor's heart ached to see his maker in such a state. "Maglor. Let me find you a room within the house. I am certain Elrond would love to see you once again, and there are things you and I must speak of." Time stretched out before both vampires, and Erestor had to admit he was now thankful he was as he was. If he had died in Angband, he would never have met Glorfindel. He would never know the completeness he felt in the blond's arms.

Glorfindel stared in shock at Erestor's words. "Erestor, he just wanted to kill me! Now you are inviting him to be your guest?" The absurdity of the situation was not lost on Glorfindel. There he stood, nude and still rumpled from his lovemaking with Erestor, Erestor wearing a half-open robe, and Maglor with a bruise blooming on his jaw.

Erestor glared at Glorfindel. "Aye, that is what I am doing." The Elda shook his head, and Erestor was surprised to hear the sound of laughter. Maglor stood near the balcony, chuckling at the two of them. "Will you?" Erestor asked again.

They were all still and silent, waiting for the elder vampire's answer. Maglor finally smiled and nodded. "Aye. I think it is time to visit with my foster son."

TBC...


	11. Chapter Ten

Erestor rested against Glorfindel's bare chest, his eyes closed as he listened to the steady rhythm of his lover's heart.

"He is much changed," Glorfindel said softly, stroking Erestor's hair tenderly.

"Aye," Erestor murmured. "Did he say when he would return?" Maglor had left the previous day for Lórien, seeking his cousin there. After spending a month with the family he had long thought lost to him, Maglor decided to try and rekindle those family ties that remained. It had eased Erestor's heart to see the bitterness and anger slowly fade from his sire's eyes, to see him romp and play with the twins and spar with Elrond. Celebrían had spent long hours speaking with the elder Noldo in the gardens, and Erestor had been able to put things to rest between the two of them. The Elf who had left Imladris was not the same Elf Erestor had known. His eyes were bright and a smile had been on his face.

Glorfindel shook his head. "No, but Elrond told him he was always welcome."

Erestor chuckled. "He did not think Elrond would accept him. I thought it was absurd; Elrond has been seeing to my needs for more years than I can recall."

The Elda shifted again, lifting Erestor's chin so that he could see into the dark eyes. "We need to discuss something Maglor spoke to me about before he took his leave, melethen."

"I am not sure I like where this is heading," Erestor said as he sat up, the sheet falling from their nude bodies.

Glorfindel smiled. "He spoke of... well, of if you would make me as you are."

Erestor shifted uncomfortably. "Is that what you desire?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

"It is not something you would desire to do, is it?" Glorfindel swept a lock of the dark hair back and stared intently at his lover's profile.

"No, it is not something I desire to do," Erestor said simply.

The blond leaned back against the headboard. "Would you tell me why?"

"I could not kill you," Erestor said. "I could not take all the light from your eyes, take that _life_  from you. Not to mention, Elrond does not need two of us, living off of him and his wife. You would gain nothing from me making you as I am. You already will live the life of Arda, you are strong, and your spirit is one of the brightest I have seen." Erestor finally looked into Glorfindel's sapphire gaze. "Do you want me to do that to you?" he asked hesitantly.

Glorfindel shook his head. "I am in no hurry to meet my end a second time," he said, kissing Erestor lightly on the cheek. "We are of like minds."

Erestor's eyes darkened and he moved to kneel between Glorfindel's knees. "And I would miss tasting you," he said. "I could not feed from another of my kind. I would never taste your release as you filled me or warmed my blood with your love," he continued, leaning in to lap at Glorfindel's lips.

"You hunger," Glorfindel said, running his hands over the planes of Erestor's chest.

"Aye," Erestor breathed, moving down to Glorfindel's throat to nip and suckle at the flesh there.

Glorfindel took Erestor's shoulders in a firm grip and flipped the Councilor onto his back, with the Elda straddling Erestor's hips. "Then we do this my way," he said, bending down and kissing Erestor thoroughly. When Erestor was breathless, hard and squirming beneath him, Glorfindel pulled back. "I want you to fill me, melethron," he said, gently biting at Erestor's swollen bottom lip.

Erestor stared with wide eyes. "Why?"

"Because, I have felt you feeding from me while I have taken you; now I want to feel from the other side. Do you not want that?" Glorfindel asked, sitting back and rubbing his thumbs over Erestor's nipples.

"Aye, I do want you," Erestor said, his voice thick with desire.

Glorfindel smiled. "Good," he said and reached for the oil they now kept on the night table. He poured the fluid over and through his fingers, the oil dripping onto Erestor's arousal. Glorfindel stroked his lover's arousal, squeezing and teasing Erestor, each moan enflaming him further.

The Elda lifted himself up, quickly slicking his entrance. He took Erestor's shaft in hand again and sat back, slowly easing himself down upon Erestor's lap. Glorfindel let out a pained groan while Erestor growled and arched up into the hot body. They rested for a moment, and Glorfindel waited for the burning to pass. When he grew accustomed to Erestor's length, he sat up and impaled himself again, drawing a cry from his lover's lips.

Erestor watched Glorfindel slide up and down his shaft. His hunger became more acute every time Glorfindel came back down on him. Glorfindel's eyes were closed and he stroked himself; it was a glorious sight for the vampire. Erestor put his hands on Glorfindel's hips, stilling the Elf so that he could move their joined bodies backward until his back rested against the headboard. Glorfindel looked down at him, his head cocked in question. Erestor wrapped his arms around Glorfindel's slender waist and drew him towards him. "I wanted you closer," he whispered against Glorfindel's lips before sealing the Elda's mouth with his.

They rocked together, slowing their pace and drawing out the pleasure. Erestor was buried deeply inside his lover, and Glorfindel clung to Erestor's shoulders, his mouth possessed by the Noldo. Erestor moved one hand from Glorfindel's back to languidly stroke Glorfindel's erection. The Elda moaned, biting into the flesh of Erestor's shoulder as he trembled on the verge of release. "Now, Erestor," Glorfindel panted, his eyes closed and his brow resting against Erestor's shoulder. With the golden mane still held back in silver floral clips, Glorfindel's long, pale neck was exposed to Erestor.

Erestor licked a line from Glorfindel's ear to the base of his neck, and then sank his teeth into the tender flesh. Glorfindel bucked in momentary pain, but soon he was moaning and moving atop the Noldo. Erestor continued to stroke him, his grip more firm and he thrust up into Glorfindel's body. It was exquisite, and Erestor felt his body tense, followed by the release of his seed into his lover. Glorfindel's orgasm came swiftly, milky fluid spreading between their bodies. Erestor fed until well after their release, running his hand over Glorfindel's beck as he moved his softening member inside the Elda's slick passage.

Glorfindel lifted his head from Erestor's shoulder, his eyes heavy and his body pleasantly sore. Erestor pulled away from the small wound, licking the slowly seeping blood from his bite.

"Melin chen, Glorfindel," Erestor said, kissing Glorfindel's temple.

The Elda smiled and nuzzled into the crook of Erestor's neck. "Melin chen, Erestor."

*****

Celebrían watched as Glorfindel and Erestor walked toward her where she sat beneath the tree. She smiled brightly at the two Elf-lords, happy that they had found happiness together. She had always known Glorfindel would bring the light back to Erestor's eyes, and she had to admit -- the Noldo had never looked so pleased and content.

"My Lady," Glorfindel said, bowing deeply to his Lord's Lady when they arrived at the tree. Erestor snorted and Celebrían laughed, her voice a pleasant tinkle in the early morning light. She motioned for Glorfindel to join her under the tree.

"Elrond and the twins are attempting to find us all a lovely way to break our fast this morning. Elrond promises fruits, cheese and tea, though I am sure Elladan will talk him into bringing along some sweet cakes." Celebrían looked up at Erestor, her pale eyes bright with cheer. "Should I assume you have eaten?"

"Aye, my Lady," Erestor said. "But, I believe I will join you and your family for a morning feast among the spring flowers," he added smiling at her.

Glorfindel held out his hand. "Nay, you will actually join us for a meal! My Lady, I do believe someone has taken the Erestor we know and love in the dead of night and replaced him! Perhaps he is swayed by the enjoyment you and your family have often shown in the cooks' talents. He never eats the meals *I* create. I do think I should feel slighted!"

Celebrían laughed again, covering her smile with her hand. "Lord Glorfindel, do stop! You will make my sides ache with laughter and I shall not want to eat!"

"'Tis better to ache with laughter than with--" Glorfindel began, but Erestor glared at him.

Erestor sat beside Glorfindel, his eyes narrowed as he looked upon his lover. "Do you have only one thought this time of day?"

Glorfindel smirked. "And what better time to think upon such a subject after you have so recently reacquainted me with it?" Glorfindel asked, winking at the Noldo. "Master Erestor, do not tell me you never think of such antics!"

"My thoughts are not in dispute. I question whether you can think of nothing more entertaining but your... well, that is not something appropriate to discuss before out Lady," Erestor said, averting his eyes.

Glorfindel pouted. "Those antics are foremost in mind, my Lord. I have not performed such acts since..." Glorfindel seemed to think for a moment, but Erestor answered for him.

"Since the sun rose, Glorfindel, you twit!" Erestor tossed a handful of grass at Glorfindel.

"Your sharp wit has always amused me so," Glorfindel said as he dusted the green fronds from his tunic. "And with props, no less."

Celebrían was bent in two, laughing loudly. "Stop!" she managed between giggles.

Erestor glared at Glorfindel. "You will cause her to have vapors, and that will displease Elrond. Especially when he hears about what our choice for a conversational topic."

"Come now, Erestor," Glorfindel said, running his thigh over Erestor's leather-clad thigh. "The Lady is merely enjoying our company. It is not so hot nor is her dress so binding as to cause vapors!"

"Glorfindel!" Erestor cried, shooing the Elda's hand from his person. "Do not speak in such a way. You have the manners of a goat."

Glorfindel cocked his head to the side. "A goat? That is not what you said earlier. You seemed very pleased with my manners then," Glorfindel teased, chuckling as Celebrían continued to laugh at them.

Erestor threw another handful of grass at Glorfindel and looked back toward the house, his relief at seeing Elrond and his sons approach apparent on his features. "Now, behave yourself, Glorfindel; and my Lady, please cease your chortling!"

The blond leaned close to his Lady. "Continue your display of appreciation for my wit, my Lady, and pay the crow no mind."

Celebrían stood, brushing the dirt and grass from her skirts, her face flushed from all her mirth. "There is never a dull moment in Imladris with a crow and a peacock to amuse their Lady." She cast a fond smile at the two Elves before she ran off to greet her husband and sons, her silver hair shining in the afternoon light.

TBC...


	12. Epilogue

They have gone. The only ones left here will become lost to the world of Men. I was happy to see my Lord's remaining children board the ship, just as I had promised him I would do after he left. For them to see their Naneth once more will heal their torn spirits. I can only love them from these shores now, for I will never walk the lands of my birth.

His presence warms the spirit that would be cold if I were alone. We still reside in Imladris, but he speaks of traveling away from these lonely and haunted halls. Though we are together, we are alone. I try to bring the smile to his face as often as I can, but I do find it hard when the sun seems obscured for me.

He waits for me now, out on the lawn, gazing at the sky. I am sure his mind travels back to when our Lord and Lady graced this realm, when the twins ran through the halls and Arwen tormented the house cat. And times of festival and of marriage. He tries not to think of the sorrowful times of the past or the ones to come. How do I know this? Because I do the same.

I would not change my choice, though. To be here, at his side, is worth any price.

My memory is long.

It is clear and bright, alive with the love I felt in those days.

He looks to me now and whispers to the Elf at his side. Two sets of eyes fall on me, and I smile at them.

My new family. My new Lord. He will always be the Lord of my heart.

*****

"Glorfindel!" Erestor called, waving at him. "Will you not join us? Or will you waste this beautiful afternoon with your writing?"

Maglor chuckled, lying back on the grass and casting his gaze skyward. Glorfindel shook his head, and Erestor waved again.

"I will be there in a moment, melethen," Glorfindel said, returning to his journal.

/The shores of Aman are beautiful and blinding white, but nothing will compare to his smile. He is my reason for living, and to leave him here would cleave my soul in two. No, so long as he looks to me with mithril eyes warm with love, I will remain at his side. His smile warms my dimming spirit./

Glorfindel lifted his eyes again, and Erestor still watched him. Slowly, the Elda was blinded by the brilliance of the Noldo's smile.

The End


End file.
